What's on the TV today?

Anyone catch the programme called "Entertaining The Troops" the other night; all about ENSA, Stars in Battledress and private groups.

Any feedback from the Veterans about quality of productions they enjoyed / endured?

Jim

 

Next Monday we have on Yesterday: 'Narrow Escapes', Wingate and the Chindits. 9pm.

Should be good, but I would say that. Two of the veterans involved in the program have helped me immensley in my research and are great guys.

 

An update on the series 'Narrow Escapes' to be shown on Yesterday Channel starting this Monday at 9pm.

There is some confusion on some TV listings as to which program is first in the series of 13?? It should be on Wingate's Chindit operation of 1943, but some show an edition for the battle of Kohima.

Any road up, attached is a pdf file with the information of the topics proposed back in the late spring this year. Something in there for most members I would say.

Keep em peeled!

 

Tonight at 9pm on BBC2

Code-Breakers: Bletchley Park's Lost Heroes

Documentary that reveals the secret story behind one of the greatest intellectual feats of World War II, a feat that gave birth to the digital age. In 1943, a 24-year-old maths student and a GPO engineer combined to hack into Hitler's personal super-code machine - not Enigma but an even tougher system, which he called his 'secrets writer'. Their break turned the Battle of Kursk, powered the D-day landings and orchestrated the end of the conflict in Europe. But it was also to be used during the Cold War - which meant both men's achievements were hushed up and never officially recognised.

BBC - BBC Two Programmes - Code-Breakers: Bletchley Park's Lost Heroes

 

Jonathan

Thanks for the head-up.

Will be thinking of Betty Hull:
RIP Betty Hull

I write today to pay honour to one of the many young unsung heroes of Bletchley Park.

This delightful lady sadly passed away on Saturday the 2nd of July.

Betty Hull was married for many years to the late Ted Hull of Bomber Command who was a fellow crew member on the Lancaster of 166 Squadron in which my brother Jack was killed over Nuremberg.

Ted was a lovely man and during my research into my brother's death I had the pleasure of meeting both him and Betty and grew to admire and respect them both, consequently my family were truly saddened to learn of her recent passing.

Ted had mentioned to me that his wife had worked at Bletchley but what I didn't previously realise was the fact that she kept for 30 years, even from him, the secret of her work on Enigma as this excerpt from one of their daughters letters clearly shows.
Quote:
Mum worked at Bletchley Park, typing in secret stuff onto an enigma machine! The process they were put through after the war and her own determination to keep secret what she had been involved in meant that she had few clear memories of her life there. She was in ‘digs’ in the village, I know. We took her back there years ago and she was delighted to be presented with the freedom of Bletchley Park and of course, later still, the medal that was awarded to those who had worked there.

It wasn’t until the 30-year secrecy ban lifted that we knew what Mum did in the war. She and Dad were watching the news and Bletchley Park was mentioned for the first time as being the secret centre for decoding enemy traffic and the enigma machine. Mum just casually said, “That’s where I worked.” You can imagine Dad’s response, “WHAT?!”

We were and are very proud of them both and it really helps to hear of the regard you held them in.
RIP Betty and thank-you for your wonderful work !

 

Operation Jericho was on tonight only saw the end.1944 RAF Mosquito bombers demolished the walls of Amiens Jail in what became known as Operation Jericho. The reasons behind the raid remain a mystery. Catch it on iplayer.

BBC iPlayer - Operation Jericho

 

Tonight at 9pm on BBC2

Code-Breakers: Bletchley Park's Lost Heroes

Documentary that reveals the secret story behind one of the greatest intellectual feats of World War II, a feat that gave birth to the digital age. In 1943, a 24-year-old maths student and a GPO engineer combined to hack into Hitler's personal super-code machine - not Enigma but an even tougher system, which he called his 'secrets writer'. Their break turned the Battle of Kursk, powered the D-day landings and orchestrated the end of the conflict in Europe. But it was also to be used during the Cold War - which meant both men's achievements were hushed up and never officially recognised.

BBC - BBC Two Programmes - Code-Breakers: Bletchley Park's Lost Heroes

I had a headache trying to understand Watching Bill Tutte talking about how he worked out the formula to crack the codes, people like Tutte & Flowers where just amazing and should be properly recognised.

 

Cockleshell Heroes. BBC2 9Pm 1/11/2011

Royal Marines Museum - The Most Courageous Raid of WWII

 

Guns of Navarone on Foxtel


I'm a sucker for Alistair Maclean.

 

Guns of Navarone on Foxtel


I'm a sucker for Alistair Maclean.

Great Music too!

 

Great Music too!

The story is great however the casting was brilliant.

 

The story is great however the casting was brilliant.

Niven was excellent (as ever), Peck was also.

The story was pure escapism daring do, loved it. Used to watch it with my Dad when it came on TV as a kid.

I went with him to the cinemas to watch Force 10, not so great, but still enjoyable. (Had a thing for Barbara Bach at the time!)

 

Remembrance Week, BBC1 Monday-Friday mornings 9.15am

 

BBC2 & Channel 5 are also running a variety of programmes in the evenings.

 

Dambusters documentary tonight BBC2 21.00.

 

Niven was excellent (as ever), Peck was also.

The story was pure escapism daring do, loved it. Used to watch it with my Dad when it came on TV as a kid.

I went with him to the cinemas to watch Force 10, not so great, but still enjoyable. (Had a thing for Barbara Bach at the time!)

Force 10 is on Foxtel tomorrow night I think.

 

Just watched "To Hell and Back" (Audie Murphy) on Foxtel.

I had not seen it for years.

The "Eagle has Landed" has just commenced.

 

Watching the great WW1 Australian movie "ANZACS" on the History Channel.

Paul Hogan was so well cast.

 

Just watched a documentary called Patton 360 about the invasion of Sicily and how old "blood and guts" was obsessed with beating the Brits to Messina. Rick Atkinson author of "An Army at Dawn" and "The Day of Battle" was one of the commentators. I haven't read either of his books but from listening to him he sounds more like a journalist than a military historian.

 

Well it's on tomorrow but an early prompt for the following. It should be good. BBC 9pm:

Double Agent: The Eddie Chapman Story

Following on from his hugely successful BBC2 documentary, Operation Mincemeat, based on his book of the same name, writer and presenter Ben MacIntyre returns to the small screen to bring to life his other bestselling book - Agent Zigzag.
As part of the Timewatch series, MacIntyre reveals the gripping true story of Britain's most extraordinary wartime double agent, Eddie Chapman. A notorious safe-breaker before the war, Chapman duped the Germans so successfully that he was awarded their highest decoration, the Iron Cross. He remains the only British citizen ever to win one.
Including remarkable and newly discovered footage from an interview Chapman gave three years before his death in 1997, the programme goes on the trail of one of Britain's most unlikely heroes - a story of adventure, love, intrigue and astonishing courage.

BBC Two - Timewatch, Double Agent: The Eddie Chapman Story